[LurkedLongEnough]

More on this when it breaks.

Let's hope that it just doesn't break, ok?

[Mo1]

kyw news 3, Philadelphia ???


You from are the area Philly area???

[John H K]

Better described as "Liberian-Registered" probably.

This ship has almost certainly never docked or even gone near Liberia in its entire life, and likely not a single Liberian has stepped aboard ir at any time.

It's a "Flag of Convenience"...Liberia (along with Panama, and a few other countries...have low or non-existent ship registration fees.

[RCW2001]

Coast Guard flags
'radioactive' ship

The Coast Guard escorted a cargo ship back out to sea from Port Newark last night after an inspection turned up mysterious radiation readings, Port Authority police said.

Authorities said the Liberian-flagged 708-foot container vessel M/V Palermo Senator was guided beyond the 12-mile limit where the inspection continued.

The ship was moved because "fluctuating levels of radioactivity of unknown origin" were discovered on it, a Port Authority spokesman said.

The readings were discovered after the Coast Guard, which routinely checks out "high-interest vessels," intercepted the ship earlier in the day and brought it to Port Newark for a joint inspection with the U.S. Customs Service and Port Authority. Authorities would not disclose the ship's cargo or the nationality of its crew.

Leo Standora

[Nexus]

Ship ordered back to sea while feds examine cargo for radioactivity

The Associated Press
9/11/02 5:29 AM


NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- A ship detained by federal and local authorities after traces of radioactivity were detected in its cargo has been temporarily ordered back to sea.

The U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday that the Liberian-flagged container ship, the M/V Palermo Senator, had been ordered to stay in a security zone set up six miles offshore while the inspection continues.

The ship had been directed to Berth 92 at the Port Newark/Elizabeth Marine Terminal after a Coast Guard team boarded the vessel around 2 a.m. Tuesday. Team members then heard suspicious sounds in several of the ship's cargo holds, but they could not determine their source.

Concerned about a possible stowaway situation, guard officials decided to conduct a thorough pierside search. While no evidence of stowaways was found, they determined that the ship's cargo posed a potential risk to public safety.

Reporters were barred access to the berth area while the search was going on and officials would not provide any details about the cargo, saying only that guard members would stay on the ship until the probe is completed.

Capt. Craig Bone, the guard's top official at the port, said in a prepared statement that the boat will remain offshore "until the condition of its cargo can be ascertained and safely offloaded."

There have been no threats articulated against the ship, and the inspection is consistent with inspections of other high-interest vessels, the Coast Guard said. The U.S. Customs Service also was assisting with the investigation.

[all4one]

"The ship was directed to Berth 92 at the Port Newark/Elizabeth Marine Terminal after a Coast Guard team boarded the vessel Tuesday."

Why would a ship that has not been totally cleared of suspicion, be brought to our shores to berth at a Marine Terminal? Wouldn't it be a safe bet to bring additional inspectors off-shore to inspect the ship more thoroughly? If there were a nuclear device it would detonate in a populated coastal area. I can see that Homeland Security has not done a thorough review of proceedures that would help protect U.S. citizens.

[Magnum44]

Note te ship name listed below in this excerpt from the web...You too can cruise on a potential terrorist nuclear threat.

This page was prepared by, and appears through the courtesy of, our office in London, England

The Cruise People, Ltd.

Canada's Premier Sea Travel Agency

Fred Cherney, M.C.C.

Passenger Freighter Specialist

---

     Round the World & Extended Voyages  

Voyages of eight weeks (56 days) or more by modern cargo ships. Part voyages, one-way voyages and round trips with layover are possible on any of these routes. Please enquire.

1.  Full Round the World Service

---

Senator Line - Orient Express

2.2. US East Coast / Med / Far East / Med / USA (91 days)

m/v CALIFORNIA SENATOR, m/v HONG KONG SENATOR, m/v IBN SINA, m/v LONDON SENATOR, m/v WASHINGTON SENATOR (1 Owners, 2 Doubles and 2 Single cabins, swimming pool, maximum 8 passengers); m/v PACIFIC SENATOR, m/v PALERMO SENATOR, mv PATMOS SENATOR, SHANGHAI SENATOR (2 Double cabins, swimming pool, maximum 4 passengers); m/v IBN ZAIDOUN (swimming pool, 6 passengers) - all about 40,000 dwt tons

Route: New York - Norfolk - Savannah - Valencia - La Spezia - Gioia Tauro - Suez - Jeddah - Khor Fakkan - Singapore - Busan - Kaohsiung - Hong Kong - Singapore - Suez - Gioia Tauro - La Spezia - Fos sur Mer - Valencia - New York.  Note:  One must book in advance in order to obtain summer space on this route!!

---

[Semper Paratus]

It may be the radioactivity picked up was left over from a previous shipment.
I'm sure the shipping logs will be checked over.

[LonePalm]

*Ping*

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[steveegg]

Paging El Diablo D'Ashole. Paging Little Dick Gimphardt. Paging Ron Paul. Y'all may be interested in this little tidbit.

[Scuttlebutt]

I didn’t know y’all had your own Navy.

(Opps, never mind…I just realized the thread title was about Liberian ships…not libertarian ships)

[finnman69]

Ship With Radiation in Cargo Hold Ordered Back Out to Sea
Wednesday, September 11, 2002

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,62754,00.html

NEWARK, N.J. — A ship detained after traces of radioactivity were detected in its cargo was temporarily ordered back to sea, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.

The Liberian-flagged container ship, the M/V Palermo Senator, was ordered to stay in a security zone six miles offshore while the inspection continues.

The ship was directed to Berth 92 at the Port Newark/Elizabeth Marine Terminal after a Coast Guard team boarded the vessel Tuesday. Team members heard suspicious sounds in several of the ship's cargo holds, but they could not determine their source.

While no evidence of stowaways was found, they determined that the ship's cargo posed a potential risk to public safety.

Officials would not provide any details about the cargo.

Capt. Craig Bone, the Coast Guard's top official at the port, said in a statement that the boat will remain offshore "until the condition of its cargo can be ascertained and safely offloaded."

[freeperfromnj]

New information on this story:

Ship searched for nuclear material

Initial tests found elevated radiation levels in cargo hold

NBC, MSNBC AND NEWS SERVICES

Sept. 12 — U.S. Special Operations forces on Thursday joined members of the Energy Department’s Nuclear Emergency Search Team on board a Liberian-flagged container ship off the coast of New Jersey to search for nuclear material, Pentagon officials told NBC News. The search of the the M/V Palermo Senator was based primarily on intelligence suggesting a ship matching its description could be carrying nuclear material or a nuclear device into the United States, the officials said.

The Coast Guard ordered the ship back to sea, saying it wanted to ascertain if there was ‘a potential risk to public safety and security.’

THE SHIP, WHICH arrived in New York Harbor late Monday, was ordered back to sea on Wednesday as a result of the intelligence and initial tests showing slightly elevated radiation levels in its hold, the officials said.

A Coast Guard boarding team took command of the vessel at 2:30 a.m. and took it 6 to 12 miles offshore, saying it wanted to ascertain if there was “a potential risk to public safety and security.” A Coast Guard cutter was guarding the vessel.

Members of the Energy Department’s NEST team, charged with responding to nuclear emergencies, began to test the ship’s 655 containers later in the day.

The military team joining the hunt on Thursday was bringing specialized equipment capable of looking deep into the stacked containers.

The Pentagon officials, who spoke with NBC News on condition of anonymity, said that the vessel was one of five searched upon arrival based on intelligence indicating that terrorists may be trying to bring nuclear material or a nuclear device into the United States.

After Coast Guard inspectors found unspecified “paperwork problems” and reported hearing some suspicious sounds in some of the vessel’s cargo holds, it was ordered to Port Newark/Elizabeth Marine Terminal in New Jersey for further checks.

There, tests by Energy Department inspectors produced contradictory results, with one showing elevated radiation levels and another indicating normal levels. As a result, the ship was ordered back to sea for a definitive determination on whether any radioactive material was on board.

A U.S. government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told NBC News that the NEST scientists said the initial readings indicated the presence of both gamma and neutron emissions, which can be an indicator of an improvised nuclear device.

But the official stressed that there is nothing to indicate anything more than background radiation at this point.

The NEST squad was established in 1974 to seek out and dismantle “improvised nuclear devices,” but has been used over the years to investigate suspicious radiological sources.

MSNBC.com’s Mike Brunker, NBC News’ Jim Mikleszewski and Robert Windrem and The Associated Press contributed to this report.